On Tuesday the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development approved the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) expansion plan for the City of Bend.
The expansion added 2,380 acres of land for housing and employment to the City’s UGB. Those expansions are distributed on the west, north and south and northeast and southeast edges of the City.
The UGB plan is a blend of infill and expansion. Changes will arise gradually inside the current boundary and on the edges where the expansion will happen. About 70 percent of the projected growth in housing and in jobs can be accommodated inside the current UGB with expected redevelopment.
The Bend City Council and the Deschutes County Commissioners each unanimously approved the expansion after an exhaustive public input process that included more than 60 volunteers on three technical advisory committees and more than 70 public meetings.
The Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development received four objections to the proposal and found only two were valid objections. The State further rejected the two valid objections and concluded the proposal satisfied all applicable state laws.
There is a 21-day appeal period. Appeals must be received by December 5, 2016.
Central Oregon LandWatch applauds the State’s quick approval of the City of Bend’s Urban Growth Boundary proposal. “The prompt approval by the State is a recognition that the City’s Plan is forward-thinking and was the result of broad public involvement,” said Moey Newbold of LandWatch. “We are pleased that the process ended up being so collaborative and that it tackled the hard issues like affordable housing.”
LandWatch is now turning its attention to encouraging implementation of the Plan.
Learn more at www.centraloregonlandwatch.org
More information about the plan: www.bendoregon.gov/bendugb
